Catherine Barley writes: "Sadly so many mums don't have the luxury of staying at home to bring up their families these days, so miss out on the opportunity of a little 'me' time once they are old enough to go to school, which gave those of us of a similar age, the opportunity to learn a craft such as lacemaking." Located as I am in the NY area, which is a hub of artistic activity, I have come to know some millennials who make lace and are involved in the art world. They are artists who are attempting in some cases to use lace technique to make art. Also I have been searching on the internet for young lace artists who have artistic CVs that are serious enough to impress a gallery to which I would like to present a proposal for a contemporary lace exhibit. I am seeing a situation where young artists have the intelligence, the time, and the design skills to make beautiful and important lace art, but what is lacking is a public to buy the art, galleries to display the art, critics to write about the art, grants and residencies to allow the artists to make art, prizes for the artists to put on their CVs, etc. Suppose, speaking in broadly demographic terms, it is not mums gifted with "me" time, but rather artists gifted with residencies and grants who will be making interesting lace in the future? What I see happening is that several of them who embraced lace making as an artistic medium are going on to other media which have a more receptive audience and more support in place in the artistic community. These young people need to support themselves because they are not stay at home mothers and they cannot really afford to practice an art for which there is no market or appreciation. What would it take to create the niches that young artists need to pursue lace as a medium for fiber art? I guess we could buy lace art, since, artists have to live, after all. We could offer "patron prizes" at high end craft shows, or fiber art events. This can be even a rather small amount of money but it can add to the artist's CV which then provides a form of distinction for the artist who may apply for a grant or residency. A young woman here in NY actually spent three years designing a lace study trip to 14 countries in Europe which lasted 4 months. She learned lace making in several of the sites and studied lace culture in others. Now she is giving talks about the experience, teaching, and writing a book. This was supported by a grant. (I am not familiar with the grant giver.) If there were specific grants for artists to pursue lacemaking studies as such, it would encourage such studies. The recipient of the grant would be able to put it on her or his CV, and thus the process of legitimization of lacemaking as a fiber art would start to solidify. Residencies, where an artist is given the opportunity to go somewhere different and soak in the ambiance and make art are also important. Some residencies are not all that expensive. There is one I have heard about where a woman offers her sea side cottage to an artist in exchange for a piece of art made there. In a residency an artist can create a new body of art and then present this to the world and can also list the residency as another example of how well her art is received. Grants and residencies are given through a competitive process and the result is artists competing for the distinction and the experience. One thing that is very interesting about the young millennial artists is that, since art, not motherhood, is their primary occupation, they really do produce work. They treat their art with a high level of seriousness and professionalism. It is quite impressive. Thoughts? Devon
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